Written Answers Monday 02 March 2009

Scottish Executive

Air Services

Alasdair Allan (Western Isles) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive when it expects the public service obligation air route between Stornoway and Benbecula, commencing in April 2009, to be awarded.

Stewart Stevenson: The award of the contract for the public service obligation air service between Stornoway and Benbecula is a matter for Comhairle nan Eilean Siar.

Alcohol

Gavin Brown (Lothians) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive how many offences of selling alcohol to people under 18 have been detected in the Lothians region in the last 12 months as a result of the national roll-out of the test purchasing of alcohol.

Shona Robison: Information obtained from Lothian and Borders Police indicates that between January and December 2008 the force undertook 255 intelligence-led test purchase visits to off–sales premises. Of those premises tested there were 39 first failures and four second failures.

Alcohol

Michael Matheson (Falkirk West) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what its plans are for the publication of its response to the Changing Scotland’s relationship with alcohol consultation.

Nicola Sturgeon: I can confirm that we have today published our response to the consultation on alcohol misuse: Changing Scotland’s Relationship with Alcohol: A Framework for Action , on the Scottish Government website. Copies have also been placed in the Scottish Parliament Information Centre (Bib. number 47805.) The framework sets out a package of measures to rebalance Scotland’s relationship with alcohol, reduce alcohol-related harm and contribute to a successful and flourishing Scotland. Some are specific legislative measures designed to effect change in the short-term. Many others focus on creating cultural change over a much longer period. Together these actions can and should begin to make a real difference to the health and wellbeing of people in Scotland, to our economy and to our communities.

Alcohol Misuse

Richard Baker (North East Scotland) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S3W-10011 by Shona Robison on 29 February 2008, how many deaths in NHS (a) Grampian and (b) Tayside hospitals in 2007 were alcohol-related and, of these, how many were of people aged (i) under 18, (ii) 18 to 29, (iii) 30 to 55 and (iv) over 55.

Shona Robison: The information requested is given in the following table.

  Alcohol-Related Deaths in NHS Grampian and Tayside Hospitals in 2007

  

 Age Group
 All Ages
 Under 18
 18-29
 30-55
 Over 55


 Health Board
 
 
 
 
 


 Grampian
 63
 -
 -
 26
 37


 Tayside
 35
 -
 -
 17
 18



  Source: GRO(S).

Alcohol Misuse

Gavin Brown (Lothians) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive how much alcohol-related illness cost NHS Lothian in each of the last five years.

Shona Robison: This information is not held centrally.

  The Scottish Government provided £3,401,218 to NHS Lothian in 2009-10 for the provision of alcohol brief interventions and alcohol-specific treatment and support services. However, the total costs of alcohol-related illness in Lothian are likely to exceed this amount.

  Nationally, it is estimated that the wider economic and social costs of alcohol misuse to Scotland in 2006-07 was £2.25 billion of which £405 million was to NHS Scotland.

Alcohol and Substance Misuse

Richard Baker (North East Scotland) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what proportion of deaths was attributable to (a) alcohol and (b) other substance misuse in the last 12 months, broken down by NHS board.

Shona Robison: The most recent deaths data currently available is for 2007. The information requested is given in the following tables:

  Table a. Proportion of Deaths Attributable to Alcohol, 2007

  

 Area
 Alcohol-Related Deaths
 All Deaths
 Percentage


 Scotland
 1,399
 55,986
 2.5%


 Ayrshire and Arran
 86
 4,459
 1.9%


 Borders
 23
 1,299
 1.8%


 Dumfries and Galloway
 28
 1,866
 1.5%


 Fife
 79
 3,780
 2.1%


 Forth Valley
 63
 2,986
 2.1%


 Grampian
 105
 5,322
 2.0%


 Greater Glasgow and Clyde
 465
 13,704
 3.4%


 Highland
 99
 3,551
 2.8%


 Lanarkshire
 174
 6,192
 2.8%


 Lothian
 172
 7,487
 2.3%


 Orkney
 7
 255
 2.7%


 Shetland
 6
 209
 2.9%


 Tayside
 86
 4,509
 1.9%


 Western Isles
 6
 367
 1.6%



  Source GRO(S).

  Table b. Proportion of Deaths which Were Drug-Related, 2007

  

 Area
 Drug-Related Deaths
 All Deaths
 Percentage


 Scotland
 455
 55,986
 0.8%


 Ayrshire and Arran
 36
 4,459
 0.8%


 Borders
 *
 1,299
 *


 Dumfries and Galloway
 10
 1,866
 0.5%


 Fife
 28
 3,780
 0.7%


 Forth Valley
 26
 2,986
 0.9%


 Grampian
 45
 5,322
 0.8%


 Greater Glasgow and Clyde
 157
 13,704
 1.1%


 Highland
 16
 3,551
 0.5%


 Lanarkshire
 48
 6,192
 0.8%


 Lothian
 54
 7,487
 0.7%


 Orkney
 *
 255
 *


 Shetland
 *
 209
 *


 Tayside
 29
 4,509
 0.6%


 Western Isles
 *
 367
 *



  Source GRO(S).

  Note: *Data has not been disclosed for numbers under five.

Apprenticeships

Jeremy Purvis (Tweeddale, Ettrick and Lauderdale) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive how much funding will be required for 7,800 extra modern apprenticeships and from where this funding will be found.

Fiona Hyslop: The Scottish Government has identified the sum of £16 million to fund the additional modern apprenticeships next year. This initiative will be funded by increases in non-domestic rate income as identified by the Cabinet Secretary for Finance and Sustainable Growth.

Apprenticeships

Jeremy Purvis (Tweeddale, Ettrick and Lauderdale) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive whether 7,800 extra modern apprenticeships will be paid for through the accelerated capital expenditure programme.

Fiona Hyslop: No, capital budgets cannot be used to fund current expenditure. The additional £16 million will be provided to Skills Development Scotland who will offer the modern apprenticeship places.

Apprenticeships

Jeremy Purvis (Tweeddale, Ettrick and Lauderdale) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive whether future budgets will have to be changed to pay for 7,800 extra modern apprenticeships and, if so, which budget lines will be changed and in which years.

Fiona Hyslop: Any new funding required to support additional modern apprenticeships after next financial year will be considered as part of the standard Scottish Budget process.

Autism

Hugh O'Donnell (Central Scotland) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has to promote the policy and practice guidance for service commissioners for people on the autistic spectrum that was produced in April 2008.

Trish Godman (West Renfrewshire) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has to promote and ensure the implementation of the policy and practice guidance for commissioning services for people on the autistic spectrum.

Shona Robison: The policy and practice guidance for commissioners of services for people on the autism spectrum was distributed widely across all local authorities to social work and housing departments. It was also sent to all health boards and Community Health Partnership managers.

Autism

Hugh O'Donnell (Central Scotland) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive, in light of the Autism Spectrum Disorder Reference Group having ended its tenure, what plans it has to consult, involve and meet the needs of people on the autistic spectrum.

Shona Robison: Implementation of The same as you? review of learning disability services continues to involve people on the autism spectrum with or without a learning disability. People on the autism spectrum and carers are also fully involved in the national work to take forward the recommendations of the Disability Rights Commission on Independent Living.

Autism

Trish Godman (West Renfrewshire) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it plans to ensure that adults with autism are counted by their local authority or community health partnership.

Shona Robison: Recent guidance for commissioners of health and social care services for people on the autism spectrum recommends that local authorities and health boards work together to identify and keep a record of people with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) in their area.

  The Scottish Government has national annual statistical returns on implementation of The same as you? learning disability review. From this year these returns are being collected through eSAY, a national data collection tool run by the Scottish Consortium for Learning Disability (SCLD). The data will include the number of people diagnosed with ASD in touch with local authority services.

Cancer

Marlyn Glen (North East Scotland) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive how many people in the NHS Tayside area have been invited to attend bowel cancer screening since the Scottish Bowel Screening Programme was introduced.

Nicola Sturgeon: There is no published data for the Scottish Bowel Screening programme, as yet.

  Data on the Scottish Bowel Screening Pilot was published in August 2008 via the Information Services Division (ISD) website at www.isdscotland.org/isd/5728.html.

Cancer

Marlyn Glen (North East Scotland) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive how many people in the NHS Tayside area have died from colorectal cancer since the Scottish Bowel Screening Programme was introduced.

Nicola Sturgeon: Data on the number of people who have died from colorectal cancer are available by NHS board and year (1985 to 2007) on the Information Services Division website. The latest year for which cancer mortality data are complete is 2007.

  http://www.isdscotland.org/isd/servlet/FileBuffer?namedFile=cancer_colorectal_mort_m.xls&pContentDispositionType=inline.

Care Commission

Mary Scanlon (Highlands and Islands) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S3W-20227 by Nicola Sturgeon on 28 January 2009, what changes will be made to the inspection regime for all care services as a result of the new targeted and proportionate regulation system currently being introduced.

Nicola Sturgeon: The regime used to inspect registered care services is an operational matter for the Care Commission.

  Information about how the Care Commission carries out inspections can be obtained from its Chief Executive at the following address:

  Ms Jacquie Roberts Chief Executive Scottish Commission for the Regulation of Care Compass House 11 Riverside Drive Dundee DD14NY

  E: Jacquie.roberts@carecommission.com.

Census

Trish Godman (West Renfrewshire) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it plans to utilise the opportunity provided by the 2011 Census to count disabilities such as autism in order to provide accurate figures to plan and commission services.

Shona Robison: The General Register Office for Scotland will consider the best approach for the question on long-term health conditions to be included in the 2011 Census. The sample questionnaire which will be used in a census rehearsal in March 2009 can be found at http://www.gro-scotland.gov.uk/census/censushm2011/policy-and-regulations/index.html .

  Data from this year’s census rehearsal and some cognitive testing work will inform further development and refinement of the question.

Children

Mary Scanlon (Highlands and Islands) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive how much Cruse Bereavement Care has been given to provide a bereavement service to schoolchildren and how many children have used this service, broken down by local authority.

Adam Ingram: Cruse Bereavement Care Scotland (CBCS) receive generic funding from the Scottish Government. This comprises:

  Funding from the Scottish Government’s Children, Young People and Social Care Directorate through the United Voluntary Sector Fund. Current funding for 2007-10 is £37,650 per year, and is provided for aligning their services with the bereavement related needs of clients, including: establishing a CBCS National Phoneline, which is intended to be live by summer 2009; producing a CBCS manual to guarantee quality of service and efficiency, and securing more consistent and sustainable resources to deliver services on an on-going basis.

  £66,965 for three financial years commencing 2008-09 under section 9 of the Social Work (Scotland) Act 1968, also by the Scottish Government’s Children, Young People and Social Care Directorate. This is to develop further e-learning projects, develop training modules about bereavement by murder, and in turn increase capacity to deliver tailored training to external purchasers, to help all client groups affected by bereavement.

  £25,000/£23,000/£21,000 over 2007-10 from the Scottish Government’s Mental Health Division to support CBCS’s core administrative functions.

  CBCS hold figures of services provided Scotland wide, to school children receiving help on a one to one basis, but have advised that the figures provided do not cover the other varied types of help available to school children, e.g. through email contact. CBCS are not able to provide a breakdown of these figures by local authority.

  CBCS’s National Figures are as follows:

  Years 2005-08

  

Relevant Year 1 April to 31 March
No. of Pre-School Children Seen for 
One-to-One Support
No. of Primary School Children Seen for One-to-One Support
 No. of Secondary School Age Children Seen for One-to-One Support
Total


 2005-06
 1
 51
 93
 145


 2006-07
 2
 38
 100
 140


 2007-08
 2
 37
 91
 130

Children

Mary Scanlon (Highlands and Islands) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive how many times between the age of 15 months and five years a child’s weight is recorded by an NHS professional.

Shona Robison: The Scottish Universal Core Programme recommends the recording of a child’s weight within the first 24 hours of life, at 10 days, and six to eight weeks, at two, three, four and 13 months, at three to five years and at entry to primary school. Although there may be additional measurements taken between three to five years, there is no formal reporting process. Practitioners should provide clinical advice based on the weight measurement when appropriate.

  Weight is formally recorded and reported as part of P1 CHSP (Child Health Systems Programme – School) http://www.isdscotland.org/isd/3640.html.

Communities

Johann Lamont (Glasgow Pollok) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will report on the progress of the Community Voices funding programme.

Alex Neil: The Fairer Scotland Fund (FSF) replaced a number of funding streams from 1 April 2008, including the Community Voices Programme. Reporting on FSF will be taken into account in the wider reporting arrangements for single outcome agreements.

Concessionary Travel

Robin Harper (Lothians) (Green): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has had discussions with the UK Government about providing access to the UK bus network for pensioners who are entitled to use the national concessionary travel scheme and, if not, whether it will make representations to the UK Government on this matter.

Stewart Stevenson: Discussions between the devolved administrations and the Department for Transport were held in 2006 about the possibility of mutual recognition of bus passes across the UK. There are no plans at present to introduce reciprocal concessionary travel arrangements between Scotland and other parts of the UK.

Dentistry

Jamie Stone (Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive how it plans to address the list of 7,256 people waiting for registration with an NHS dentist in the Wick and Thurso area.

Shona Robison: Responsibility for the overall provision of NHS dental services in the area rests with NHS Highland.

  The board has already established a salaried dental service in Wick and has been allocated £5.64 million under the Primary and Community Care Premises Modernisation Programme for 2009-10 and 2010-11. Part of this funding will used to develop a four surgery dental facility in Thurso for independent dentists working in the NHS.

Digital Technology

Jeremy Purvis (Tweeddale, Ettrick and Lauderdale) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive how many households in each parliamentary constituency have access to (a) the internet and (b) broadband and what the connection speed is.

Jim Mather: The Scottish Government does not collect or analyse such data on a constituency level.

Digital Technology

Jeremy Purvis (Tweeddale, Ettrick and Lauderdale) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive what estimate it has made of the number of households with (a) a computer, (b) internet access and (c) broadband, also showing connection speed.

Jim Mather: The Scottish Government’s Scottish Household Survey 2007 reported that 57% of households have internet access, and 50% of households have broadband access. The survey does not collect data regarding computer ownership or broadband connection speeds.

  The Scottish Household Survey has a large sample size and statistical power, and is considered to be representative of the Scottish population. However, as with any sample, scores or percentages from the sample are an estimate of the actual population.

Direct Payments

Jackson Carlaw (West of Scotland) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive, in light of the UK Government’s decision to pilot a scheme allowing patients with long-term conditions to access direct payments to purchase their own medical and care services, whether the Scottish Government will consider launching a similar pilot and, if not, what its reasons are for its position on this matter.

Shona Robison: The Scottish Government is committed to increasing the uptake of self-directed support (SDS) as a way of giving those receiving social care choice, flexibility and control over the services they receive. We are funding three test sites (Dumfries and Galloway, Glasgow and Highland Councils) to consider three specific interventions (bridging finance, leadership and training, and cutting red tape). Legislation already allows the inclusion of health money in a SDS package in Scotland. This enables long-term conditions to be managed holistically. Evidence suggests that there can be distinct advantages for service users receiving care in this way.

  The personalisation of health care is central to our approach to enabling people to live well with long-term conditions. Aside from funding work with NHS Lothian to consider how health money can be used more routinely in SDS packages, we will of course be interested in the outcomes from the UK Government pilots.

Direct Payments

Rhoda Grant (Highlands and Islands) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S3W-20102 by Shona Robison on 4 February 2009, whether it considers that ending direct payments for new applicants would be consistent with the Community Care and Health (Scotland) Act 2002.

Shona Robison: Local authorities have a duty under the Social Work (Scotland) Act 1968 to assess the community care needs of people and decide, in the light of the assessment, whether they should arrange any services, and if so, which services. Since June 2003, local authorities have a duty to offer direct payments in lieu of council community care services to all eligible people. In light of recent concerns, I will be asking the Self-Directed Support Reference Group to review the operation of the legislation as part of their work on developing a Self-Directed Support National Strategy.

Employment

Rhona Brankin (Midlothian) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive how much it receives in Barnett consequentials from the UK Government in respect of the Train to Gain scheme.

John Swinney: The Scottish Government receives Barnett consequentials on any changes to funding for comparable spending in Whitehall Departments. It is then for Scottish ministers to decide how these funds should be allocated in Scotland. As spending review consequentials are calculated at a highly aggregated level on the basis of changes to Whitehall Departments’ funding rather than on individual programmes, it is not possible to identify consequentials as a result of individual schemes. The Scottish Government has not received additional funding through consequentials in 2008-09 triggered by changes to the Department for Innovation, Universities and Skills Whitehall Departmental Expenditure Limit.

Health

Des McNulty (Clydebank and Milngavie) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what proportion of people meets the recommended levels of physical activity.

Shona Robison: The official source of statistics on physical activity is the Scottish Health Survey. The most recent results currently available are for 2003, although the survey is in the field again now and results for 2008 will be available in September 2009 and annually thereafter.

  The guideline levels of physical activity for adults and children are as follows:

  Adults – 30 minutes or more of moderate to vigorous activity on at least five days in the week prior to the survey, and

  Children – At least 60 minutes participation in physical activity on all seven days prior to the survey.

  Table 1: Proportion of adults and children meeting the physical activity guidelines in 2003, Proportion Meeting the Physical Activity Guidelines (%)

  

 Adults (aged 16+ years)
 Male
 42


 Female
 30


 Children (aged 2-15 years)
 Boys
 74


 Girls
 63



  Source: Scottish Health Survey 2003.

  Breakdowns of adults and children meeting the physical activity guidelines are also available by age, social class, income and Scottish Index of Multiple Deprivation from the Scottish Health Survey 2003 report:

  http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Publications/2005/11/25145024/50251 [Chapters 4 in both the adults and children reports].

Health

Des McNulty (Clydebank and Milngavie) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what proportion of people meets the recommended levels of physical activity through walking.

Shona Robison: The official source of statistics on physical activity is the Scottish Health Survey. The most recent results currently available are for 2003, although the survey is in the field again now and results for 2008 will be available in September 2009 and annually thereafter.

  The guideline levels of physical activity for adults and children are as follows:

  Adults – 30 minutes or more of moderate to vigorous activity on at least five days in the week prior to the survey, and

  Children – At least 60 minutes participation in physical activity on all seven days prior to the survey.

  The calculation of total physical activity levels sums responses to individual questions about participation in all different types of activity in the week prior to the survey (including walking, activity at work, sport participation). It is possible that some respondents meet the physical activity guidelines through "moderate to vigorous" walking alone, but Scottish Health Survey figures on this are not held centrally.

Healthcare Associated Infection

Jackie Baillie (Dumbarton) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S3W-20034 by Nicola Sturgeon on 29 January 2009, whether studies into the virulence of the 078 strain of Clostridium difficile are being undertaken and, if so, when will they report.

Nicola Sturgeon: Health Protection Scotland (HPS) are now undertaking a study that will confirm the strains of Clostridium difficile that are present across NHSScotland and their associated morbidity and mortality.

  The outcomes from this study will be reported in spring 2010.

Healthy Living

Patricia Ferguson (Glasgow Maryhill) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S3W-19955 by Shona Robison on 2 February 2009 and in light of the Budget (Scotland) (No.3) Bill, how much financial support will be provided to healthy living centres in 2009-10.

Shona Robison: The Scottish Government will continue the healthy living centre (HLC) transition fund in 2009-10, providing up to £70,000 per HLC.

  The fund will continue to be administered by local health boards using a rigorous set of criteria, similar to that in 2008-09. HLCs receiving funding will need to have significant prospects of achieving sustainability by March 2010.

Healthy Living

Rhona Brankin (Midlothian) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it recognises the important role that Midlothian Healthy Living Project plays in developing healthy lifestyles and preventing ill-health in Midlothian.

Shona Robison: The Scottish Government recognises the valuable contribution that community health initiatives can make to encouraging healthy lifestyle choices, improving health and reducing health inequalities.

  We also recognise that community health initiatives must meet specific local needs and that successful projects can only be delivered through effective partnership working between local community planning partners, including those from the public and the third sector.

Healthy Living

Rhona Brankin (Midlothian) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it intends to act to prevent closure of Midlothian Healthy Living Project on 31 March 2009 and, if so, what action it will take.

Shona Robison: The Scottish Government announced on 23 February 2009 that it would extend the transition funding for healthy living centres for another year to the end of March 2010.

  This funding is intended to support the continuation of those healthy living centres that have the support of local funding partners and have good prospects of achieving long-term sustainability.

  The funding will be administered by the relevant local health board and decisions to apply for funding will rest with local community planning partners.

Homecoming Scotland

Lewis Macdonald (Aberdeen Central) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what the value was of the European Regional Development Fund grant awarded to VisitScotland to support the promotion of Homecoming Scotland 2009 for the (a) lowlands and (b) Highlands and Islands.

Jim Mather: The value of European Regional Development Fund grants awarded to VisitScotland to support Homecoming promotion and events are (a) for the Lowlands and Uplands, £1,334,627 (for a project submitted jointly by VisitScotland, EventScotland and Angus Council) and (b) for the Highlands and Islands, £1,487,620 (for a project submitted jointly by VisitScotland and EventScotland).

Housing

Marlyn Glen (North East Scotland) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive how much in Housing Association Grant was awarded to each registered social landlord in (a) Dundee and (b) Angus in 2007-08 and has been awarded in 2008-09 and what the value is of these amounts taking inflation into account.

Alex Neil: The Grant Planning Target (GPT) is allocated at the beginning of each financial year to individual Housing Associations for all relevant elements of the Affordable Housing Investment Programme (AHIP).

  The following table provides details of the allocation of GPTs for each Housing Association in (a) Dundee and (b) Angus for 2007-08 and 2008-09.

  

Housing Association
Dundee 2007-081 
£ Million
Dundee 2008-09 
£ Million
Angus 2007-081 
£ Million
Angus 2008-09 
£ Million


Abertay Housing Association Ltd
1.528
0.690
0.000
0.000


Angus Housing Association Ltd
0.801
0.023
4.012
2.035


Bield Housing Association Ltd
0.052
0.072
0.021
0.010


Cairn Housing Association Ltd
0.007
0.018
0.004
0.005


Hillcrest Housing Association Ltd
3.769
2.431
0.794
0.650


Home in Scotland Ltd
2.745
2.588
0.000
0.000


Margaret Blackwood Housing Association Ltd
1.407
1.014
0.083
0.027


Sanctuary Scotland Housing Association
0.325
0.030
0.000
0.000


Servite Housing Association (Scotland) Ltd
1.471
0.776
0.764
0.904


Trust Housing Association Ltd
0.000
0.000
0.013
0.033


Total
12.105
7.642
5.691
3.664



  Note: 1. 2007-08 figures are expressed in real terms. The figures have been calculated using the provisional GDP deflator of 3.25% for 2008-09.

  The Dundee and Angus areas benefited from resources being brought forward in 2008-09 through the Accelerated Funding Programme. A £0.701 million allocation will fund the acquisition of eight additional homes for rent in Dundee and a £0.525 million allocation will fund the acquisition of a land banking opportunity in Angus.

Local Income Tax

George Foulkes (Lothians) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will list the dates, locations and agenda topics, with particular reference to local income tax, of meetings between the First Minister and members of the business community, including Brian Souter, Donald Macdonald and Sir Tom Farmer, in 2009.

John Swinney: The First Minister has had a number of meetings with members of the business community in 2009 to discuss matters of mutual interest. However, Local Income Tax has not been an agenda item for any of these meetings.

  Additionally, the First Minister has not met with Brian Souter, Donald Macdonald or Sir Tom Farmer in 2009.

Local Income Tax

George Foulkes (Lothians) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will list the dates, locations and agenda topics, with particular reference to local income tax, of meetings between the Cabinet Secretary for Finance and Sustainable Growth and members of the business community, including Brian Souter, Donald Macdonald and Sir Tom Farmer, in 2009.

John Swinney: The Cabinet Secretary for Finance and Sustainable Growth has had a number of meetings with members of the business community in 2009 to discuss matters of mutual interest.

  However, local income tax has not been an agenda item for any of these meetings and the Cabinet Secretary for Finance and Sustainable Growth has not met with Brian Souter, Donald Macdonald or Sir Tom Farmer in 2009 to discuss local income tax.

Local Income Tax

George Foulkes (Lothians) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will list the dates, locations and agenda topics, with particular reference to local income tax, of meetings between that the Minister for Enterprise, Energy and Tourism and members of the business community, including Brian Souter, Donald Macdonald and Sir Tom Farmer, in 2009.

John Swinney: The Minister for Enterprise, Energy and Tourism has had a number of meetings with members of the business community in 2009 to discuss matters of mutual interest. However, local income tax has not been an agenda item for any of these meetings.

  Additionally, the Minister for Enterprise, Energy and Tourism has not met with Brian Souter, Donald Macdonald or Sir Tom Farmer in 2009.

Maternity Services

Mary Scanlon (Highlands and Islands) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive when it plans to publish the Maternity Services Action Group’s neonatal sub-group’s report on the review of neonatal services.

Shona Robison: The Maternity Services Action Group’s Neonatal Sub-Group report on the Review of Neonatal Services in Scotland is currently being finalised and will be published shortly.

  I will ensure that you receive a copy of the report, when published.

Mental Health

Mary Scanlon (Highlands and Islands) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S3W-19341 by Shona Robison on 20 January 2009, whether it will provide an answer that specifically addresses the points raised in the question.

Shona Robison: There was extensive consultation during the Crerar Review, which reported in 2007, on the proposals for change to the scrutiny landscape.

  I had discussions on the proposals with the Convenor of the Care Commission and the Chairs of the Boards of NHS Quality Improvement Scotland and the Mental Welfare Commission Scotland, both prior to and following the announcement on 6 November 2008 on the creation of new scrutiny bodies for health and social care.

  The Scottish Government announced on 13 February that while the Mental Welfare Commission will still be part of the simplification programme we will step back at this time from taking its functions in to either the new health or new social care body.

  We will be engaging directly with the bodies and their stakeholders on the way forward while reviewing the Mental Welfare Commission’s operations and how best to take it forward as part of the simplification programme.

Mental Health

Mary Scanlon (Highlands and Islands) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive what progress is being made in providing an appropriate number of in-patient places in child and adolescent psychiatry services.

Shona Robison: We are working closely with NHS boards to ensure that the number of specialist in-patient beds match need and demand.

  For children, there are nine beds, provided on a national basis, at the Royal Hospital for Sick Children (Yorkhill). For adolescents, a new facility opened on 25 February in the West of Scotland with 24 beds. Consideration of local and regional needs are still underway in the North around plans to increase the current six beds to 12, and in the South East who currently have 12 beds.

  We have also offered £2 million of new money on a recurring basis, to be matched by new resources from NHS boards, to accelerate the development of specialist CAMHS in-patient services and supporting intensive community services.

Misuse of Drugs Act 1971

Richard Baker (North East Scotland) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what disposals were applied to people prosecuted under the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971 in the Grampian Police area in 2007-08.

Kenny MacAskill: Court Proceedings data for 2007-08 is not yet available; it is due to be published in April 2009.

  The available information is given in the following table. The Misuse of Drugs Act 1971 includes a range of offences including: illegal importation of drugs, production and manufacture or cultivation of drugs, supply or possession with intent to supply, possession of drugs and obstructing a constable in pursuance of his duty.

  Persons with a charge proved in Grampian police force area, where the main offence was under the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971, by disposal, 2006-07:

  

 Disposal
 Number


 Prison 
 118


 Young Offenders Institution 
 5


 Probation 
 84


 Community service order 
 41


 Restriction of liberty order 
 1


 Drug treatment and testing order 
 2


 Fine 
 428


 Caution or admonition 
 94


 Total
 773

Mortality

Richard Baker (North East Scotland) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S3W-10012 by Shona Robison on 29 February 2008, how many deaths in NHS (a) Grampian and (b) Tayside hospitals in 2007 were drug-related and, of these, how many were of people aged (i) under 18, (ii) 18 to 29, (iii) 30 to 55 and (iv) over 55.

Shona Robison: The most recent deaths data currently available is for 2007, Source GRO(S).

  The total numbers of drug-related deaths in NHS Grampian and in NHS Tayside in 2007 were less than five in both cases. To protect the identities of the individuals involved, the exact numbers have not been disclosed. The highest numbers of drug related deaths were in the 30 to 55 age group.

Myalgic Encephalomyelitis

John Wilson (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what information it has on how many people suffering from myalgic encephalopathy/chronic fatigue syndrome are recorded as unemployed.

Nicola Sturgeon: The data on CFS/ME collected by the Information Services Division of NHS National Services Scotland do not include details of people’s employment status.

Myalgic Encephalomyelitis

John Wilson (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what information it has on how many people suffering from myalgic encephalopathy/chronic fatigue syndrome are in receipt of incapacity benefit.

Nicola Sturgeon: The issue of incapacity benefit entitlement is a matter reserved to the UK Government and is the responsibility of the Department for Work and Pensions.

Myalgic Encephalomyelitis

John Wilson (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many people diagnosed with myalgic encephalopathy/chronic fatigue syndrome entered further or higher education in 2007-08, broken down by local authority area.

Nicola Sturgeon: The information requested is not available centrally.

Myalgic Encephalomyelitis

John Wilson (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many people were diagnosed with myalgic encephalopathy/chronic fatigue syndrome in the North Lanarkshire council area in each of the last five years.

Nicola Sturgeon: The information requested is not available centrally.

NHS Finance

John Wilson (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive, in light of the publication of Asset Management in the NHS in Scotland by Audit Scotland, whether it plans to initiate strategies for the routine collation of information from NHS bodies on the performance and maintenance of fixed NHS assets.

Nicola Sturgeon: I refer the member to the answer to question S3W-20499 on 23 February 2009. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament’s website, the search facility for which can be found at http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/Apps2/Business/PQA/Default.aspx .

National Care Standards

Murdo Fraser (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive what steps it is taking to ensure that the national care standards are enforced.

Shona Robison: The National Care Standards apply to services regulated by the Care Commission. In carrying out its regulatory functions the Care Commission is required to take the Standards into account. Care services must be registered with the Care Commission. They are subject to regular inspections and must demonstrate to the commission that they are meeting the requirements set out in the National Care Standards.

  The Care Commission has a wide range of enforcement powers available to it should a care service fail to meet the requirements set out in legislation and the National Care Standards. These include issuing an improvement notice detailing the required improvement and ultimately cancelling a service’s registration.

  If the Member would like to know more about how the Care Commission carries out its regulatory role he can contact the chief executive of the commission at the following address:

  Ms Jacquie Roberts Chief Executive Scottish Commission for the Regulation of Care Compass House 11 Riverside Drive Dundee DD14NY

  E: Jacquie.roberts@carecommission.com T: 01382 217100.

National Conversation

George Foulkes (Lothians) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive whether all written contributions to the National Conversation must carry a name and postal address to be regarded as valid.

Michael Russell: No. There are a variety of ways to contribute to the National Conversation about Scotland’s future. Contributions made via the National Conversation website are considered valid if they are posted in accordance with the moderating criteria set out in answer to question S3W-11333 on 23 April 2008. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament’s website, the search facility for which can be found at:

  http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/Apps2/Business/PQA/Default.aspx.

People with Learning Disabilities

Johann Lamont (Glasgow Pollok) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive how many people with learning disabilities received direct payments in (a) 2007 and (b) 2008, broken down by local authority.

Shona Robison: The information requested is in the following table:

  Number of Clients with Learning Disabilities Receiving Self-Directed Support (Direct Payment) Packages by Local Authority, 2007 and 2008

  

 
 Number of Clients


 2007
 2008


 Aberdeen City
 32
 38


 Aberdeenshire
 50
 77


 Angus
 11
 11


 Argyll and Bute
 29
 38


 Clackmannanshire
 -
 -


 Dumfries and Galloway
 39
 49


 Dundee City
 -
 -


 East Ayrshire
 13
 16


 East Dunbartonshire
 -
 -


 East Lothian
 8
 19


 East Renfrewshire
 -
 -


 Edinburgh
 42
 69


 Eilean Siar
 7
 9


 Falkirk
 -
 6


 Fife
 82
 88


 Glasgow
 52
 53


 Highland
 101
 77


 Inverclyde
 -
 -


 Midlothian
 5
 6


 Moray
 -
 -


 North Ayrshire
 -
 5


 North Lanarkshire
 10
 11


 Orkney
 -
 -


 Perth and Kinross
 11
 19


 Renfrewshire
 9
 13


 Scottish Borders
 30
 21


 Shetland Islands
 -
 -


 South Ayrshire
 9
 10


 South Lanarkshire
 12
 17


 Stirling
 -
 -


 West Dunbartonshire
 9
 11


 West Lothian
 13
 19


 Scotland
 604
 704



  Source: Self-directed Support (Direct Payments) Survey, Scottish Government.

  Note: Cells with less than five clients have been suppressed and marked "-" for disclosure purposes.

People with Learning Disabilities

Johann Lamont (Glasgow Pollok) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive how much was spent on direct payments for people with learning disabilities in (a) 2007 and (b) 2008, broken down by local authority.

Shona Robison: The information requested is in the following table:

  Value of Self-directed Support (Direct Payment) Packages for People with Learning Disabilities, by Local Authority, 2007 and 2008

  


 Value of Direct Payments (£000)


 2007
 2008


 Aberdeen City
 311
 395


 Aberdeenshire
 317
 534


 Angus
 54
 50


 Argyll and Bute
 415
 598


 Clackmannanshire
 18
 4


 Dumfries and Galloway
 295
 348


 Dundee City
 78
 77


 East Ayrshire
 50
 85


 East Dunbartonshire
 -
 20


 East Lothian
 73
 278


 East Renfrewshire
 -
 -


 Edinburgh
 643
 915


 Eilean Siar
 19
 16


 Falkirk
 8
 16


 Fife
 618
 793


 Glasgow
 434
 594


 Highland
 566
 594


 Inverclyde
 5
 8


 Midlothian
 28
 32


 Moray
 158
 115


 North Ayrshire
 43
 54


 North Lanarkshire
 189
 350


 Orkney
 13
 6


 Perth and Kinross
 81
 122


 Renfrewshire
 39
 136


 Scottish Borders
 125
 114


 Shetland Islands
 68
 -


 South Ayrshire
 104
 118


 South Lanarkshire
 104
 122


 Stirling
 5
 10


 West Dunbartonshire
 86
 105


 West Lothian
 82
 127


 Scotland
 5,029
 6,736



  Source: Self-directed Support (Direct Payments) Survey, Scottish Government.

People with Learning Disabilities

Hugh O'Donnell (Central Scotland) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive how it intends to ensure that local authorities and community health partnerships plan appropriate and effective services to ensure that adults with autism do not fall into any gap between mental health and learning disabilities services.

Shona Robison: The Scottish Government has published and disseminated guidance for commissioners of services for people on the autism spectrum in local authorities and health boards, which sets out recommendations for planning appropriate services.

  The Scottish Government is also reviewing its guidance for Community Health Partnerships on addressing the needs of people with learning disabilities and people with autism spectrum disorders.

Planning

Cathy Peattie (Falkirk East) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive why alternative locations for additional container capacity were not identified in the National Planning Framework for Scotland 2 Strategic Environmental Assessment.

Stewart Stevenson: The candidate national developments considered in the Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA) of the National Planning Framework 2 were proposals put forward by stakeholders which were sufficiently specified to allow a meaningful assessment to be undertaken. Elements of several of these proposals addressed the provision of additional container capacity. Guidance on SEA states that artificially constructed alternatives are unlikely to be "reasonable" for the purposes of assessment, as in most cases there would be no prospect of delivery.

  The National Planning Framework 2 Environmental Report and associated annexes are available on the Scottish Government’s website:

  http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Topics/Built-Environment/planning/National-Planning-Policy/themes/npf.

Planning

Cathy Peattie (Falkirk East) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what alternative locations for additional container capacity were considered in formulating the National Planning Framework for Scotland 2 Strategic Environmental Assessment.

Stewart Stevenson: I refer the member to the answer to question S3W-20715 on 2 March 2009. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament’s website, the search facility for which can be found at http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/Apps2/Business/PQA/Default.aspx .

Police

Richard Baker (North East Scotland) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what new technology it is considering for introduction to police forces.

Kenny MacAskill: The introduction of new technology to policing is primarily a matter for the police. We work closely with the Scottish police service, police boards and the Scottish Police Services Authority to support the introduction of technology that will improve policing. A variety of technologies is currently under consideration, including personal digital assistants, mobile fingerprint recognition devices and data enabled breath screening devices.

Ports and Harbours

Cathy Peattie (Falkirk East) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive, given its previous support for the modern ports policy and the incremental growth of existing port facilities, what evidence it took into account when favouring the development of a new port facility rather than the expansion of existing ports.

Stewart Stevenson: Scottish Government Policy does not favour the development of new ports over the expansion of existing ports. UK ports policy does not prevent the development of new port facilities, and it identifies the need for modernised facilities.

Ports and Harbours

Cathy Peattie (Falkirk East) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what criteria were used to inform its decision that there is a need for a new port to supplement the existing container capacity.

Stewart Stevenson: Schemes for port development are market driven, in accordance with UK policy. Nationally important developments which provide opportunities to supplement existing container capacity are the Grangemouth Freight Hub, Rosyth International Container Terminal, the Scapa Flow Transhipment Facility and the Hunterston Transhipment Hub. These projects have been selected for designation in the National Planning Framework as national developments on the basis of an assessment against the criteria announced to Parliament on 13 September 2007.

  The criteria for designating national developments are listed in the National Planning Framework 2 Participation Statement, available on the Government’s website:

  http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Topics/Built-Environment/planning/National-Planning-Policy/themes/npf/NPF-PS.

Ports and Harbours

Cathy Peattie (Falkirk East) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive, prior to designating Port Babcock in Rosyth as a national development in the National Planning Framework for Scotland 2, what methodology was used to assess the size of the increase needed in container capacity.

Stewart Stevenson: I refer the member to the answers to questions S3W-20709 and S3W-20711 on 2 March 2009. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament’s website, the search facility for which can be found at:

  http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/Apps2/Business/PQA/Default.aspx.

Ports and Harbours

Cathy Peattie (Falkirk East) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive when research to assess the size of the increase needed in container capacity used to justify the proposal for a new port was undertaken and by whom.

Stewart Stevenson: No such research has been undertaken by the Scottish Government. It is for the ports industry to respond to anticipated demand based on market conditions and commercial considerations.

Ports and Harbours

Cathy Peattie (Falkirk East) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what projected size of increase in container capacity was used to justify the proposal for a new port.

Stewart Stevenson: I refer the member to the answers to questions S3W-20109 and S3W-20711 on 2 March 2009. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament’s website, the search facility for which can be found at:

  http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/Apps2/Business/PQA/Default.aspx.

Ports and Harbours

Cathy Peattie (Falkirk East) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive on what evidence it disregarded the advice of the UK Government’s Ports Policy Division recommending that Rosyth should not become a national development

Stewart Stevenson: We have received no representations from the UK Government on the status of Rosyth.

Ports and Harbours

Cathy Peattie (Falkirk East) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what alternative locations were considered for additional container capacity to meet the perceived shortfall and what criteria were used to select the specific location of the proposed Port Babcock in Rosyth.

Stewart Stevenson: I refer the member to the answer to question S3W-20709 on 2 March 2009. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament’s website, the search facility for which can be found at:

  http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/Apps2/Business/PQA/Default.aspx.

  The approved Fife Structure Plan establishes the principle of port-related uses at Rosyth. The Fife Structure Plan can be found on the Fife Council website at:

  http://www.fifedirect.org.uk/atoz/index.cfm?fuseaction=advice.display&adviceid=4674DC97-B5C6-7C32-FC5A8914D47330C4.

  The Rosyth International Container Terminal was selected for designation as a national development on the basis of an assessment against the criteria announced to Parliament on 13 September 2007. The criteria for designating national developments are listed in the national Planning Framework 2 participation Statement, available on the government’s website:

  http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Topics/Built-Environment/planning/National-Planning-Policy/themes/npf/NPF-PS.

Ports and Harbours

Cathy Peattie (Falkirk East) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive for what reasons the expansion of Grangemouth, Scotland’s largest container port, was not explored thoroughly before the designation of a new port in Rosyth.

Stewart Stevenson: The designation of the Grangemouth Freight Hub as a national development in the Proposed National Planning Framework 2 supports the further development of port and freight-related activities at Grangemouth. The principle of port-related uses at Rosyth is already established by the approved Fife Structure Plan which can be found on the Fife Council website at:

  http://www.fifedirect.org.uk/atoz/index.cfm?fuseaction=advice.display&adviceid=4674dc97-b5c6-7c32-fc5a8914d47330c4.

Rail Network

Alex Johnstone (North East Scotland) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive when it expects phase 2 of the Waverley station upgrade to begin.

Stewart Stevenson: The Waverley Project Board (consisting of Network Rail, City of Edinburgh Council and Scottish Enterprise Edinburgh and Lothians) decided in August 2006 not to proceed with earlier proposals for Phase 2.

  This government is continuing to work with Network Rail to improve the passenger facilities and station infrastructure at Waverley Station.

Rail Network

Margaret Smith (Edinburgh West) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will consider siting the proposed Gogar railway station on the south side of the A8 next to the Gyle Shopping Centre and a tram stop.

Stewart Stevenson: Scottish ministers announced on 10 December 2008 that the new railway station would be situated on the existing Fife line to the north of the A8 Gyle Roundabout. This followed consideration of a number of sites, including options on the south side of the A8. The announcement was made to the Scottish Parliament as part of the Strategic Transport Projects Review.

Rail Network

Margaret Smith (Edinburgh West) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive whether a delay in making a decision about the siting of the proposed Gogar railway station has resulted from a change or delay to the Transport Initiatives Edinburgh (TIE) tram works programme at the Gogar depot.

Stewart Stevenson: Scottish ministers announced on 10 December 2008 that the new railway station would be situated on the existing Fife line to the north of the A8 Gyle Roundabout. The announcement was made to the Scottish Parliament as part of the Strategic Transport Projects Review.

  Transport Initiatives Edinburgh (TIE) tram works programme was not a consideration in determining the timing of this announcement.

Rail Network

Margaret Smith (Edinburgh West) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive whether Scottish ministers have met the owners of the Gyle Shopping Centre to discuss the siting of the proposed Gogar railway station and any related transport interchange.

Stewart Stevenson: Transport Scotland officials, on behalf of Scottish ministers, have met previously with William Ewart Properties Limited and will continue to have discussions with them regarding the new station.

Rail Network

Margaret Smith (Edinburgh West) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive when it will make an announcement on the location of the proposed Gogar railway station.

Stewart Stevenson: Scottish ministers announced on 10 December 2008 that the new railway station would be situated on the existing Fife line to the north of the A8 Gyle Roundabout. The announcement was made to the Scottish Parliament as part of the Strategic Transport Projects Review.

Rail Services

Jamie Hepburn (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many passengers have used the Caledonian Sleeper service departing from (a) London and (b) Scotland in each month since 1999.

Stewart Stevenson: The information requested is not held in the format requested and the information that is held on sleeper passenger numbers is from 2004-05 and not 1999 as requested. This is due to the fact that First ScotRail has operated the current Franchise since October 2004 and rail powers transferred to Scottish ministers from October 2005.

  The table gives the total sleeper journeys (thousands) for each four week period, each year, from 1 April 2004. The figures are given in rail industry periods. This gives the total for all Caledonian Sleeper routes which consist of the Highlander routes (operating between London and Fort William/Inverness/Aberdeen) and the Lowlander routes (operating between London and Glasgow/ Edinburgh).

  

 Year/Period
 1
 2
 3
 4
 5
 6
 7
 8
 9
 10
 11
 12
 13


 2004-05
 1,838
 1,701
 1,695
 1,669
 1,849
 1,784
 1,796
 1,837
 1,922
 1,470
 1,612
 1,799
 1,651


 2005-06
 1,881
 1,804
 1,791
 1,779
 1,900
 1,931
 1,889
 1,924
 2,024
 1,575
 1,731
 1,879
 1,773


 2006-07
 1,872
 1,823
 1,814
 1,752
 2,047
 2,013
 1,951
 1,991
 2,093
 1,584
 1,767
 1,927
 1,829


 2007-08
 1,885
 1,907
 1,913
 1,898
 2,082
 2,085
 2,064
 2,066
 2,154
 1,693
 1,850
 2,085
 2,171


 2008-09
 1,923
 2,088
 2,073
 1,913
 2,171
 2,109
 2,012
 2,100
 2,217
 1,753

Rail Services

Jamie Hepburn (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many direct rail services connect London and Scotland each day.

Stewart Stevenson: Rail services between London and Scotland on Cross Border routes are operated by Virgin Trains and National Express East Coast (NXEC) under franchises awarded by the Department for Transport (DfT). The exception is the Caledonian Sleeper services which are provided under the franchise awarded to First ScotRail by the Scottish Government.

  The number of services operated is specified in the Service Level Commitments agreed by train operating companies and DfT. I understand that there are 32 daily services connecting Scotland and London on Monday to Thursday (with three more NXEC services on the East Coast on Fridays).

  Full and updated details of weekend services can be found at the National Rail Enquiries website http://www.nationalrail.co.uk/.

Regeneration

Lewis Macdonald (Aberdeen Central) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what conditions will be attached to provision of the Town Centre Regeneration Fund.

Lewis Macdonald (Aberdeen Central) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive how it intends to distribute the Town Centre Regeneration Fund.

Lewis Macdonald (Aberdeen Central) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive whether all cities, towns and villages will be eligible for access to the Town Centre Regeneration Fund.

Lewis Macdonald (Aberdeen Central) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive how it will assess the needs of cities, towns and villages in relation to allocations made from the Town Centre Regeneration Fund.

Jeremy Purvis (Tweeddale, Ettrick and Lauderdale) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive when the roll-out across Scotland of the £60 million Town Centre Regeneration Fund will (a) begin and (b) be completed.

Jeremy Purvis (Tweeddale, Ettrick and Lauderdale) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will detail how the Town Centre Regeneration Fund will be rolled out across Scotland, including (a) funding stream, (b) method of allocation and (c) prioritisation.

Jeremy Purvis (Tweeddale, Ettrick and Lauderdale) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive what guidance it will give, and to whom, on the utilisation of resources under the Town Centre Regeneration Fund.

Jeremy Purvis (Tweeddale, Ettrick and Lauderdale) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive whether the Town Centre Regeneration Fund will be available to all towns and local authorities.

Jeremy Purvis (Tweeddale, Ettrick and Lauderdale) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive how towns and local authorities across Scotland will receive funding under the Town Centre Regeneration Fund.

Alex Neil: I refer the member to the answer to question S3W-20618 on 26 February 2009. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament’s website, the search facility for which can be found at http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/Apps2/Business/PQA/Default.aspx .

Regeneration

Lewis Macdonald (Aberdeen Central) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive how much of the Town Centre Regeneration Fund will be available in (a) 2009-10 and (b) 2010-11.

Alex Neil: £60 million will be available in 2009-10. We have no current plans for provision in 2010-11.

Regeneration

Jeremy Purvis (Tweeddale, Ettrick and Lauderdale) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive which budget line will be changed in 2010-11 to pay for the £60 million Town Centre Regeneration Fund.

Jeremy Purvis (Tweeddale, Ettrick and Lauderdale) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive when details of its planned 2010-11 budget changes to pay for the £60 million Town Centre Regeneration Fund will be available.

Alex Neil: The Draft Budget for 2010-11 will be published in September 2009.

Regeneration

Jeremy Purvis (Tweeddale, Ettrick and Lauderdale) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive when details of the Town Centre Regeneration Fund, including its method of implementation, will be available.

Alex Neil: Full details of the Town Centre Regeneration Fund will be announced by the end of March 2009.

Regeneration

Jeremy Purvis (Tweeddale, Ettrick and Lauderdale) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the commitment by the Cabinet Secretary for Finance and Sustainable Growth to "work with relevant partners to arrange the roll-out" of the Town Centre Regeneration Fund ( Official Report c. 14406), which partners will be involved.

Alex Neil: The Scottish Government has engaged widely to clarify the key opportunities for regeneration and growth of our town centres. We will continue to engage as we finalise the detail of the Fund and move towards roll out. For example, my officials have invited the Town Centres and Local High Streets Learning Network External Advisory group to a meeting next week to discuss the fund. Members of the group include COSLA, the Federation of Small Businesses, the Scottish Retail Consortium, the Association of Town Centre Managers, Architecture and Design Scotland, the Royal Town Planning Institute, and VisitScotland.

Regeneration

Jeremy Purvis (Tweeddale, Ettrick and Lauderdale) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive what discussions it has had with relevant partners concerning the roll-out of the town centre regeneration fund; which partners were involved, and when these discussions took place.

Alex Neil: The Scottish Government has engaged with a wide range of stakeholders to consider the key challenges facing our town centres and the action that might be taken to promote their regeneration and growth. Discussions have taken place with local government, private sector and community representatives including COSLA, the Scottish Retail Consortium, the Federation of Small Businesses and Business Improvement District Managers.

  Along with previous engagement, the Town Centres and Local High Streets Learning Network was launched on 12 February. This provided delegates (including Local Authority staff, private sector representatives, town centre managers and community representatives) an opportunity to feedback their thoughts and suggestions in relation to the management and distribution of the fund.

  Decisions on the roll out of the new Town Centre Regeneration Fund are being informed by these discussions.

Regeneration

Michael Matheson (Falkirk West) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has received an application from Falkirk Council in relation to the Town Centre Regeneration Fund.

Alex Neil: No application has been received from Falkirk Council. We are currently working on the details of the Fund, and will shortly be entering into discussions with stakeholders. We anticipate full details of the scheme will be announced by the end of March 2009.

Renewable Energy

Sarah Boyack (Edinburgh Central) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive how many planning applications to install domestic microgeneration equipment have been received in each of the last five years, broken down by local authority.

Sarah Boyack (Edinburgh Central) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive how many planning applications for domestic microgeneration were (a) approved and (b) refused in each of the last five years, broken down by local authority.

Sarah Boyack (Edinburgh Central) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what the total generating capacity was of domestic microgeneration equipment that has received planning permission in each of the last five years, broken down by local authority.

Sarah Boyack (Edinburgh Central) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what the proposed total generating capacity was of domestic microgeneration equipment that has been refused planning permission in each of the last five years, broken down by each local authority.

Sarah Boyack (Edinburgh Central) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive how many complaints about the (a) noise, (b) visual impact, (c) reflective glare and (d) smoke emissions of domestic microgeneration equipment have been received in each of the last five years, broken down by local authority.

Stewart Stevenson: This information is not held centrally.

Renewable Energy

Sarah Boyack (Edinburgh Central) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive when it will publish the responses to its consultation on Permitted Development Rights for Domestic Microgeneration Equipment, which closed on 12 May 2008.

Stewart Stevenson: The responses were published on the Scottish Government website in August 2008. A summary of the responses to the consultation on PD rights for domestic micro-generation equipment were published on Monday 9 February 2009. They can be viewed on the government website at http://www.scotland.gov.uk/publications/2008/08/28101947/0 .

Renewable Energy

Sarah Boyack (Edinburgh Central) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive how many responses it received to its consultation on Permitted Development Rights for Domestic Microgeneration Equipment.

Stewart Stevenson: Eighty-two responses were received to the consultation on permitted development rights for domestic micro-generation equipment. These can be viewed at http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Publications/2008/08/28101947/0 .

Renewable Energy

Sarah Boyack (Edinburgh Central) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what key issues arose from its consultation on Permitted Development Rights for Domestic Microgeneration Equipment.

Stewart Stevenson: The key issues raised in response to the 26 questions posed in the consultation paper can be seen in the Summary of Consultation Responses. This can be viewed on the government website at http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Publications/2009/02/06145853/0 .

Renewable Energy

Sarah Boyack (Edinburgh Central) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive whether the draft proposals for the permitted development rights for domestic microgeneration equipment have changed from those outlined in the consultation paper.

Stewart Stevenson: The Order before Parliament has changed from the draft outlined in the consultation paper including:

  Thresholds have been made less restrictive, for example the projection of solar panels above the roof plane has been increased from 150mm to 200mm and limits on the area of roof or wall to be covered have been removed;

  Additional environmental safeguards have been included, for example permitted development rights for biomass equipment have not been granted in Air Quality Management Areas, and

  Permitted development rights for two classes of development, wind turbines and air source heat pmps) have not been granted pending further consideration.

  The consultation paper can be view at http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Publications/2008/03/04090052/0.

  The Order before Parliament can be viewed at:

  http://www.opsi.gov.uk/legislation/scotland/ssi2009/ssi_20090034_en_1.

Renewable Energy

Liam McArthur (Orkney) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive how many jobs may be secured through the introduction of the proposed permitted development rights for domestic microgeneration equipment.

Stewart Stevenson: Removing barriers to the uptake of microgeneration equipment is expected to stimulate market demand for those technologies granted permitted development rights and therefore to secure jobs in the manufacturing, installation and maintenance industries. The number of jobs will depend on the choice made by individual householders about the most suitable technology for their house.

Renewable Energy

Liam McArthur (Orkney) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive how many jobs may be created through the introduction of the proposed permitted development rights for domestic microgeneration equipment.

Stewart Stevenson: Removing barriers to the uptake of microgeneration equipment is expected to stimulate market demand for those technologies granted permitted development rights and therefore to create additional jobs in the manufacturing, installation and maintenance industries. The number of jobs will depend on the choice made by individual householders about the most suitable technology for their house.

Renewable Energy

Liam McArthur (Orkney) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive what assessment it has made of the economic impact on the microgeneration industry of the introduction of the proposed permitted development rights for domestic microgeneration equipment.

Stewart Stevenson: A Regulatory Impact Assessment was completed and published on the Scottish Government Planning website to accompany the proposed Order. It considers the impact upon businesses to ensure the proposed Order is developed with a full consideration of this impact. The assessment can be viewed at:

  http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Topics/Built-Environment/planning/National-Planning-Policy/themes/renewables/RIA.

Renewable Energy

Liam McArthur (Orkney) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive what impact the introduction of the proposed permitted development rights for domestic microgeneration equipment is likely to have on the Scottish Community and Householder Renewables Initiative.

Stewart Stevenson: It is likely that the introduction of the proposed permitted development rights for domestic microgeneration equipment will increase the number of applications for grants through the Scottish Community and Householder Renewables Initiative. We will monitor demand for the scheme closely in light of the proposed changes to evaluate any effects.

Renewable Energy

Liam McArthur (Orkney) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive what impact the introduction of the proposed permitted development rights for domestic microgeneration equipment is likely to have on supporting small and medium-sized enterprises.

Stewart Stevenson: The Regulatory Impact Assessment, accompanying the proposed Order, indicates that the microgeneration industry is characterised by small scale firms. The removal of the requirement to obtain planning permission aims to promote micro-generation technologies and will benefit those companies looking to develop and refine such products and install and maintain them.

Renewable Energy

Liam McArthur (Orkney) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive what criteria will be established to evaluate the success of a permitted development rights scheme for domestic microgeneration equipment.

Stewart Stevenson: Information for evaluating the success of the PD Order for domestic micro-generation will come through the feedback which the Directorate for the Built Environment receives from stakeholders, including practitioners, industry representatives and professional bodies, on all areas of planning. In this instance, this is likely to relate to striking the correct balance between allowing domestic micro-generation without planning applications and safeguarding the quality of our environment.

Renewable Energy

Liam McArthur (Orkney) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive how many households are projected to benefit from the introduction of the proposed permitted development rights for domestic microgeneration equipment.

Stewart Stevenson: The Regulatory Impact Assessment provides estimates of the potential microgeneration uptake, copied below (Fig 6). The figures are based on the most recently available information prior to publication, however, they do not take account of specific locational circumstances which may restrict the type of technology that could generate energy efficiently.

  Figure 6. Potential Microgeneration Uptake for Scotland, Including Estimates of Thresholds (Option 3)

  

 
 GSHP
 ASHP
 CHP
 Biomass
 Wind
 Solar PV
 Solar Thermal
 Total


 2015
 106
 0
 699
 13
 0
 92
 5,832
 6,741


 2020
 122
 0
 4,055
 113
 0
 247
 10,652
 15,190


 2030
 73
 0
 13,840
 151
 0
 863
 19,809
 34,736


 2050
 413
 0
 23,286
 6
 0
 4,710
 34,559
 62,974



  Notes:

  GSHP – Ground Source Heat Pump.

  ASHP – Air Source Heat Pump.

  CHP – Combined Heat and Power.

  PV – Photo-voltaic.

Renewable Energy

Liam McArthur (Orkney) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive what the likely impact will be of the proposed permitted development rights for domestic microgeneration equipment on reducing any burden on local planning authorities.

Stewart Stevenson: The Order will reduce the number of planning applications that require to be determined by planning authorities. The Regulatory Impact Assessment, accompanying the proposed Order, estimates the number of these as follows: (Table in para 5.19)

  

 Year
 Option 3*


 2015
 6,741


 2020
 15,190


 2030
 34,736


 2050
 62,974



  By reducing the number of applications the Order will also result in a reduction in the revenue received by planning authorities. The Regulatory Impact Assessment estimates this to be as follows: (Table in para 5.27)

  

 Year
 Option 3* (£)


 2010
 980,000


 2020
 2,200,000


 2030
 5,000,000


 2050
 9,100,000



  *Option 3 – Permitted Development Rights Limited by Impact Thresholds.

Renewable Energy

Liam McArthur (Orkney) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive what discussions have taken place with local authorities and representatives of local planning officers on the interpretation and implementation of the proposed permitted development rights for domestic microgeneration equipment.

Stewart Stevenson: Local authorities and representatives of local planning officers were able to respond to the consultation paper relating to permitted development rights for domestic microgeneration. Nineteen responses were received from planning and national park authorities.

Renewable Energy

Liam McArthur (Orkney) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive what the carbon-reducing impact will be of the introduction of the proposed permitted development rights for domestic microgeneration equipment.

Stewart Stevenson: The carbon-reducing impact will be from the increased up-take of renewable and low carbon sources of heat and electricity leading to carbon savings being made.

  I also refer the member to the answer to question S3W-20747 on 2 March 2009. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament’s website, the search facility for which can be found at http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/Apps2/Business/PQA/Default.aspx.

Renewable Energy

Liam McArthur (Orkney) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive how many tonnes of CO 2 are likely to be reduced through the introduction of the proposed permitted development rights for domestic microgeneration equipment.

Stewart Stevenson: The potential reduction has not been calculated. The figure would depend on numerous factors, including the type and models of technologies people choose to install; their efficiencies relative to their location and actual use, and the CO 2 emissions from the mix of technologies they replace over the lifetime of the micro-generation equipment.

Road Safety

Nanette Milne (North East Scotland) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive when it will publish its road safety strategy.

Stewart Stevenson: We expect the Framework for Road Safety in Scotland to 2020 to be published in spring 2009.

Roads

Jeremy Purvis (Tweeddale, Ettrick and Lauderdale) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive whether funding was made available for a feasibility study of a Selkirk bypass between 1999 and 2008 and, if so, when this was authorised and by which minister.

Stewart Stevenson: Funding was made available for the A7 Selkirk Bypass Feasibility Study in May 2006 by the then Minister for Transport.

Roads

Iain Gray (East Lothian) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what the potential benefits are of dualling the single carriageway sections of the A1 trunk road in East Lothian.

Stewart Stevenson: I refer the member to the answer to question S3W-20203 on 9 February 2009. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the parliament’s website, the search facility for which can be found at http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/Apps2/Business/PQA/Default.aspx .

Roads

Iain Gray (East Lothian) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what consideration it has given to dualling the single carriageway sections of the A1 trunk road in East Lothian.

Stewart Stevenson: I refer the member to the answer to question S3W-20202 on 9 February 2009. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament’s website, the search facility for which can be found at http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/Apps2/Business/PQA/Default.aspx .

Roads

Peter Peacock (Highlands and Islands) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it intends to continue with the A9 Slochd 2+1 overtaking lane as listed in the Scottish Motorway and Trunk Road Programme.

Stewart Stevenson: The improvement scheme at Slochd is estimated for completion in the summer of 2011, subject to the completion of statutory procedures.

Scottish Centre for Regeneration

Johann Lamont (Glasgow Pollok) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive how many staff are employed in the Scottish Centre for Regeneration.

Alex Neil: There are seven members of staff employed in the Scottish Centre for Regeneration.

Scottish Centre for Regeneration

Johann Lamont (Glasgow Pollok) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what the budget is of the Scottish Centre for Regeneration for 2009-10.

Alex Neil: The total budget for the Scottish Centre for Regeneration (SCR) 2009-10 is approximately £1.56 million. This includes the cost of the SCR’s programme of events, commissioned research and publications as well as the direct running costs of the SCR itself.

Scottish Centre for Regeneration

Johann Lamont (Glasgow Pollok) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what the agreed date is for the relaunch of the Scottish Centre for Regeneration’s website.

Alex Neil: The re-launch of the Scottish Centre for Regeneration’s website took place on 27 January 2009. The new website address is www.partnersinregeneration.com .

Scottish Centre for Regeneration

Johann Lamont (Glasgow Pollok) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive when the Scottish Centre for Regeneration’s existing website was last updated.

Alex Neil: The Scottish Centre for Regeneration’s website was last updated on 24 February 2009.

Scottish Government Staff

Des McNulty (Clydebank and Milngavie) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it plans to introduce a Cycle to Work Scheme in all government organisations in order to encourage cycling and set a precedent for good environmental practice among employers.

Stewart Stevenson: There are plans to introduce a Cycle to Work Scheme for Scottish Government staff. Details of the scheme will be announced in early March.

Sexual Health

Jackson Carlaw (West of Scotland) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive how many tests have been conducted for chlamydia, broken down by (a) age group, (b) gender and (c) NHS board, from January to September in each year since 2006.

Shona Robison: The available information is given in the following tables (2007 is the year for which the latest data is available):

  Genital Chlamydia Infection, Scotland 2006 and 2007; Laboratory Tests by Gender and Age Group

  

 Gender
 Age Group
 2006
 2007


 Male
 15-24
 22,203
 23,865


 
 25-49
 27,401
 28,955


 
 50+
 2,583
 2,783


 
 Total*
 52,187
 55,603


 Female
 15-24
 78,634
 80,509


 
 25-49
 90,288
 90,160


 
 50+
 7,320
 4,333


 
 Total* 
 176,242
 175,002


 Total1,2
 15-24
 100,837
 104,374


 
 25-49
 117,689
 119,115


 
 50+
 9,903
 7,116


 
 Total* 
 228,429
 230,605



  Source: Health Protection Scotland - February 2009.

  Notes:

  1.Excludes cases where gender is not known,

  2. Totals do not include the number of tests performed in those <15.

  The total number of tests collected from the laboratories contains some equivocal, unconfirmed or indeterminate results (approx 1.3% of tests as well as some duplicate tests for the same individual (approx 5-20%).

  *Includes age not known.

  Genital Chlamydia Infection, Scotland 2006 and 2007; Laboratory Tests by NHS Board of Report

  

 NHS Board
 2006
 2007


 Ayrshire and Arran
 13,026
 13,228


 Borders
 3,213
 3,437


 Dumfries and Galloway
 6,891
 6,966


 Fife
 14,737
 14,607


 Forth Valley
 11,011
 11,334


 Grampian
 26,902
 28,577


 Greater Glasgow and Clyde**
 59,414
 61,680


 Highland
 10,461
 10,480


 Lanarkshire
 17,882
 19,497


 Lothian
 45,074
 43,159


 Orkney
 N/A
 N/A


 Shetland
 N/A
 N/A


 Tayside
 17,917
 18,811


 Western Isles
 N/A
 N/A


 Total
 226,528
 231,776



  Source: Health Protection Scotland - February 2009.

  Notes:

  The total number of tests collected from the laboratories contains some equivocal, unconfirmed or indeterminate results (approx 1.3% of tests) as well as some duplicate tests for the same individual (approx 5-20%).

  N/A - not applicable as chlamydia testing is performed in laboratories in neighbouring NHS board areas.

  **In 2006, the data for the NHS Argyll and Clyde laboratories have been included in the NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde data to allow comparison with 2007.

Sexual Health

Jackson Carlaw (West of Scotland) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive how many positive tests for chlamydia have been reported, broken down by (a) age group, (b) gender and (c) NHS board, from January to September in each year since 2006.

Shona Robison: The available information is given in the following tables (2007 is the year for which the latest data is available):

  Genital Chlamydia Infection, Scotland 2006 and 2007; Laboratory Diagnoses by Gender and Age Group

  

 Gender
 Age Group
 2006
 2007


 Male
 15-24
 3,927
 3,970


 
 25-49
 2,363
 2,505


 
 50+
 60
 85


 
 Total* 
 6,374
 6,582


 Female
 15-24
 8,892
 8,655


 
 25-49
 2,436
 2,365


 
 50+
 22
 27


 
 Total* 
 11,374
 11,065


 Total1
 15-24
 12,819
 12,625


 
 25-49
 4,799
 4,870


 
 50+
 82
 112


 
 Total*
 17,748
 17,647



  Source: Health Protection Scotland - February 2009.

  Notes:

  1.Excludes cases where gender is not known.

  *Includes age not known.

  Genital Chlamydia Infection, Scotland 2006 and 2007; Laboratory Diagnoses by NHS Board of Report

  

 NHS Board
 2006
 2007


 Ayrshire and Arran
 891
 1,133


 Borders
 230
 262


 Dumfries and Galloway
 598
 567


 Fife
 1,198
 1,211


 Forth Valley
 916
 887


 Grampian
 1,781
 1,805


 Greater Glasgow and Clyde
 4,766
 4,763


 Highland
 711
 743


 Lanarkshire
 1,534
 1,597


 Lothian
 3,414
 3,137


 Orkney
 38
 50


 Shetland
 37
 23


 Tayside
 1,790
 1,743


 Western Isles
 22
 7


 Total
 17,926
 17,928



  Source: Health Protection Scotland - February 2009.

Sexual Health

Jackson Carlaw (West of Scotland) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive to what it attributes any changes in the numbers of diagnoses for chlamydia since 2006.

Shona Robison: Data is only currently available until 2007. The most recent data on positive diagnosis show that in 2006 there were 17,926 diagnoses of genital chlamydia, compared with 17,928 in 2007.

  There has therefore been no significant change in the number of positive diagnosis since 2006.

Sexual Health

Jackson Carlaw (West of Scotland) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive how many tests have been conducted for chlamydia, broken down by (a) age group and (b) gender and what proportion of the population this represents, from January to September in each year since 2006.

Shona Robison: The available information is given in the following table (2007 is the year for which the latest data is available):

  Genital Chlamydia Infection, Scotland 2006 and 2007; Laboratory Tests and Proportion of Population by Gender and Age Group

  

 Gender
 Age Group
 2006
 2006
 2007
 2,007


 
 
 Numbers
 Proportion of Population* (%)
 Numbers
 Proportion of Population** (%)


 Male
 15-24
 22,203
 6.50
 23,865
 6.90


 
 25-49
 27,401
 3.10
 28,955
 3.30


 
 50+
 2,583
 0.60
 2,783
 0.60


 
 Total***
 52,187
 3.10
 55,603
 3.30


 Female
 15-24
 78,634
 24
 80,509
 24.30


 
 25-49
 90,288
 9.80
 90,160
 9.80


 
 50+
 7,320
 1.50
 4,333
 0.90


 
 Total ***
 176,242
 10.10
 175,002
 10


 Total1,2
 15-24
 100,837
 15.10
 104,374
 15.40


 
 25-49
 117,689
 6.60
 119,115
 6.60


 
 50+
 9,903
 1
 7,116
 0.70


 
 Total ***
 228,429
 6.70
 230,605
 6.70



  Source: Health Protection Scotland - February 2009.

  Notes:

  The total number of tests collected from the laboratories contains some equivocal, unconfirmed or indeterminate results (approx 1.3% of tests) as well as some duplicate tests for the same individual (approx 5-20%).

  1.Excludes cases where gender is not known.

  2. Totals do not include the number of tests performed in those <15.

  *Population denominator based on the GROS mid-year population data for 2006 for those aged 15-64.

  **Population denominator based on the GROS mid-year population data for 2007 for those aged 15-64.

  ***Includes age not known.

Sexual Health

Jackson Carlaw (West of Scotland) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive what progress is being made toward meeting targets on chlamydia testing.

Shona Robison: The most recent figures for chlamydia testing published by Health Protection Scotland are for 2007. Data is not yet available showing progress made toward meeting targets on chlamydia testing. NHS Quality Improvement Scotland (NHS QIS) published targets for chlamydia testing in 2008. NHS boards will be audited on achievement of these targets in 2009-10 and annual data collected by Health Protection Scotland will show what progress is being made in moving towards those targets. The first set of figures showing the rate of progress will be for the year 2008-09, which will start to become available in November 2009.

Sexual Health

Jackson Carlaw (West of Scotland) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it is aware of any research indicating that chlamydia can have an impact on male fertility and, if so, what impact this has on its targets for the testing of men.

Shona Robison: Human Reproduction and The Lancet medical journals published Swedish research in spring 2008 which stated that "there is a robust and independent association between failure to conceive and chlamydia antibodies in men, independent of semen quality".

  The Scottish Government has been advised however that while chlamydia infection can reduce male fertility, further research is required to determine the actual effect on fertility, as this is not clear.

  We know that men are less likely to access health services generally. Recent NHS Quality Improvement Scotland Standards on Sexual Health set out a target to increase chlamydia testing in those under 25, and contain a specific target to increase the number of young men being offered a test.

  Health boards are responsible for putting in place a range of measures which will reach young people in their local area and many are taking innovative approaches to reach young men.

Sexual Health

Jackson Carlaw (West of Scotland) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive what the known reinfection rate is for chlamydia, broken down by (a) age group, (b) gender and (c) NHS board.

Shona Robison: The information requested is not held centrally.

Sexual Health

Jackson Carlaw (West of Scotland) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive what steps it is taking to raise awareness of the importance of testing for chlamydia.

Shona Robison: NHS boards, through their Health Promotion Departments, undertake local targeted work on the risks of contracting sexually transmitted infections and on the importance of testing and treatment.

  In addition the government is in the process of developing a national social marketing campaign which will aim to raise awareness and create a conversation on sexual health generally. This campaign, which will begin in summer 2009, will be supported by a national website and written information encouraging those who may have put themselves at risk of a sexually transmitted infection to be tested.

Sexual Health

Jackson Carlaw (West of Scotland) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive what steps are being taken by NHS boards to increase the availability and ease of testing for chlamydia, particularly in relation to young men.

Shona Robison: The Scottish Government has published sexual health outcomes for 2008-11. One of these outcomes, being led by NHS boards and local authorities, is the provision of young people’s "drop-in" services in or near every school in Scotland offering general health advice, Chlamydia testing, pregnancy testing and condoms.

  The recent Quality Improvement Scotland Standard on sexual health and young people sets out a target to increase chlamydia testing in under 25s. This includes a specific target to increase the number of young men being offered a test. Every young person who visits a sexual health service is asked if they have put themselves at risk and, if so, offered a test.

  In addition, health boards are responsible for putting in place a range of measures which will reach young people in their local area and many are taking innovative approaches to reach young men, such as postal testing kits which can be given directly to young men or to a young woman to pass on to her partner.

Sexual Health

Jackson Carlaw (West of Scotland) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive how it will track the impact of the extension of chlamydia testing as part of the new community pharmacy contract.

Shona Robison: Chlamydia tests undertaken by the NHS are processed by NHS laboratories with statistics on the number of tests and positive diagnoses collated and analysed by Health Protection Scotland. Chlamydia tests which are undertaken as part of the community pharmacy contract will feed into this process and be monitored in the same way.

Smoking

Tom McCabe (Hamilton South) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what the latest figures are on smoking prevalence, broken down by (a) age group and (b) NHS board.

Shona Robison: The information requested is shown in the following tables.

  Table A. Smoking Prevalence by Age Group - 2007

  

 Age group 
 16-24
 25-34
 35-44
 45-59
 60-74
 75+
 All Ages


 Percentage 
 29.8
 29.4
 27.1
 27.7
 20.2
 11.6
 24.7


 Bases (sample questioned)
 1,031
 1,404
 1,902
 2,639
 2,218
 1,045
 10,239



  Source: Scottish Household Survey.

  Table B. Smoking Prevalence - by NHS Board1 - 16+ Years

  

 2 year sample 
 2006-07
Bases (Sample Questioned)


 Ayrshire and Arran
 23.6
 726


 Borders
 20.5
 209


 Dumfries and Galloway
 29.0
 297


 Fife
 25.1
 721


 Forth Valley
 27.4
 550


 Grampian
 21.0
 1,071


 Greater Glasgow and Clyde
 27.0
 2,344


 Highland new
 21.3
 613


 Lanarkshire
 30.0
 1,131


 Lothian
 21.5
 1,635


 Orkney
 17.2
 39


 Shetland
 14.9
 43


 Tayside
 24.2
 793


 Western Isles
 21.3
 54



  Source: Scottish Household Survey

  Notes:

  These figures should be interpreted with caution.

  1. The Scottish Household Survey is not designed to be representative at NHS board level and two year data (2006-07) is shown because of small sample size at NHS board level.

Smoking

Tom McCabe (Hamilton South) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what the latest figures are on smoking prevalence for people under 16, broken down by (a) local authority and (b) NHS board.

Shona Robison: Table 1 shows the percentage of 13 and 15-year-olds reporting regular smoking in 2006 by NHS board and council area of residence.

  Please note that where the sample sizes are small the numbers should be interpreted with caution.

  Percentage of Regular Smokers1 by Age Group, 2006, by NHS Board and Council Area of Residence

  By NHS Board of Residence

  

 
 13-Year-Olds
 15-Year-Olds


 %
Base (all pupils)
 %
Base (all pupils)


 Scotland
 4
 11,647
 15
 11,072


 Ayrshire and Arran
 4
 1,015
 17
 928


 Borders
 5
 317
 14
 348


 Dumfries and Galloway
 3
 316
 17
 282


 Eilean Siar
 7
 109
 13
 97


 Fife
 6
 275
 16
 324


 Forth Valley
 5
 497
 15
 473


 Grampian
 3
 1,406
 14
 1,406


 Greater Glasgow and Clyde
 3
 2,135
 14
 2,115


 Highland
 5
 691
 12
 65


 Lanarkshire
 4
 1,137
 20
 1,001


 Lothian
 4
 2,202
 16
 1,950


 Orkney
 4
 72
 14
 70


 Shetland
 4
 189
 17
 173


 Tayside
 3
 889
 14
 923



  By Council Area of Residence

  

 
 13-Year-Olds
 15-Year-Olds


 %
Base (all pupils)
 
 %


 Aberdeen City 
 2
 568
 10
 633


 Aberdeenshire 
 4
 591
 16
 529


 Angus 
 2
 172
 11
 179


 Argyll and Bute 
 6
 397
 15
 399


 Borders
 5
 317
 14
 348


 Clackmannanshire2 
 n/a
 n/a
 n/a
 n/a


 Dumfries and Galloway 
 3
 316
 17
 282


 Dundee City 
 3
 275
 13
 259


 East Ayrshire
 4
 335
 22
 302


 East Dunbartonshire
 1
 174
 15
 128


 East Lothian 
 4
 531
 14
 502


 East Renfrewshire 
 2
 419
 11
 385


 Edinburgh City 
 3
 719
 14
 531


 Eilean Siar
 7
 109
 13
 97


 Falkirk 
 5
 369
 14
 388


 Fife 
 6
 275
 16
 324


 Glasgow City 
 3
 485
 13
 534


 Highland 
 5
 691
 12
 650


 Inverclyde 
 8
 442
 14
 490


 Midlothian 
 9
 248
 19
 228


 Moray
 4
 247
 20
 244


 North Ayrshire
 4
 325
 15
 269


 North Lanarkshire 
 4
 422
 23
 433


 Orkney
 4
 72
 14
 70


 Perth and Kinross 
 3
 442
 15
 485


 Renfrewshire 
 3
 289
 12
 266


 Shetland
 4
 189
 17
 173


 South Ayrshire 
 4
 355
 13
 357


 South Lanarkshire 
 4
 715
 16
 568


 Stirling
 5
 128
 28
 85


 West Dunbartonshire 
 5
 326
 20
 312


 West Lothian 
 4
 704
 18
 689



  Source: Scottish Schools Adolescent Lifestyle and Substance Use Survey 2006 (SALSUS).

  Notes:

  The sample sizes for some local areas are small therefore reference should be made to the full report before attempting to assess the significance of any comparisons.

  1. Regular smokers are defined as those reporting usually smoking at least one cigarette a week.

  2. No schools in Clackmannanshire participated in the survey therefore local figures are not available.

  n/a - not available.

Substance Misuse

Richard Baker (North East Scotland) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive, of the deaths caused by substance misuse in NHS (a) Grampian and (b) Tayside hospitals in 2007, what substances were identified as the cause of death.

Shona Robison: The numbers of drug-related deaths in NHS Grampian and in NHS Tayside in 2007 were less than five in both cases. To protect the identities of the individuals involved, the exact numbers have not been disclosed.

  Substances identified in drug-related deaths in NHS Grampian included combinations of methadone, benzodiazepine, diazepam, alcohol, opiate, morphine, diamorphine.

  Substances identified in drug-related deaths in NHS Tayside included combinations of amphetamine, diamorphine, alcohol and an unspecified drug. In those cases where more than one substance was identified, it was not possible to say which substance, or which combination substances, caused the death.

Substance Misuse

Richard Baker (North East Scotland) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive how many people suffered an injury as a result of (a) alcohol and (b) other substance abuse in NHS (i) Grampian and (ii) Tayside hospitals in the 12 months.

Shona Robison: It is not possible to identify how many people suffered an injury as a result of alcohol or other substance abuse, from centrally held information. From acute hospital discharges it is possible to supply information on people who were admitted with both an injury diagnosis and an alcohol or other substance abuse diagnosis. However, this will only show an association and cannot quantify to what extent the alcohol/substance abuse has contributed to the injury. It will also not include patients treated in other settings, such as accident and emergency or out-patients.

  Tables 1 and 2 present this information for NHS Grampian and NHS Tayside. Other substance abuse has been defined as a drug related diagnosis.

  Table 1: General acute in-patient discharges1,2,3 with both an alcohol-related diagnosis and an injury diagnosis, in any position, from hospitals in NHS Grampian and NHS Tayside Health Board of treatment; 2007-08P:

  

 Financial Year
 Grampian
 Tayside


 2007-08
 1,014
 445



  PProvisional.

  Source: ISD Scotland (SMR01).

  Notes:

  1. Excludes mental illness hospitals, psychiatric units and maternity hospitals. Transfer cases have been excluded.

  2. Discharges where an injury diagnosis and alcohol-related diagnosis are recorded in primary or secondary reasons for admission to hospital.

  3. Figures in this table relate only to those individuals who are treated as in-patients in an acute hospital. They do not include individuals managed as out-patients.

  Table 2: General acute in-patient discharges1,2,3 with both a drug-related diagnosis and an injury diagnosis, in any position, from hospitals in NHS Grampian and NHS Tayside Health Board of treatment; 2007-08P:

  

 Financial Year
 Grampian
 Tayside


 2007-08
 95
 24



  PProvisional.

  Source ISD Scotland (SMR01).

  Notes:

  1. Excludes mental illness hospitals, psychiatric units and maternity hospitals. Transfer cases have been excluded.

  2. Discharges where an injury diagnosis and a drug-related diagnosis are recorded in primary or secondary reasons for admission to hospital.

  3. Figures in this table relate only to those individuals who are treated as in-patients in an acute hospital. They do not include individuals managed as out-patients. Caution is necessary when interpreting these figures. The recording of drug-related problems may vary from hospital to hospital.

Transport

Irene Oldfather (Cunninghame South) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S3W-19746 by Stewart Stevenson on 28 January 2009, whether it will provide a breakdown by project of the funding allocated to improve transport links between North Ayrshire and Glasgow in 2011-12.

Stewart Stevenson: The amounts allocated to improve transport links between North Ayrshire and Glasgow, given in the answer to S3W-19746, can be broken down as follows:

  

 Rail Schemes
 2009-10
 2010-11
 2011-12


 (£ Million)
 (£ Million)
 (£ Million)


 Ayrshire/Inverclyde train and infrastructure enhancements
 1.19
 6.10
 16.11


 Road Schemes
 
 
 


 A737 Head Street Roundabout 
 0.000
 0.000
 1.340


 A737 The Den
 0.000
 0.044
 2.100


 A737 Barrmill Road Roundabout
 0.000
 0.080
 3.500


 Beith Bypass Widening and Maintenance
 1.250
 0.065
 0.000


 Totals
 2.44
 6.29
 23.05